Publication:Pastoral Letter,November 2016 Dear Friend in Christ: We really do not know ourselves until we are tested, when it is “crunch time”; what we do when the odds are against us and the stakes are high. The sports world applauds a team or individual who is down but does not. [...]

OceanFest on July 4th draws over 100,000 people who visit various booths along the Promenade in Long Branch, NJ. To be sure it is a festival of sorts. People come from the surrounding area as well as from other states to walk the Promenade. There’s food, entertainment, all kinds of. [...]

[Part 13] All of us like to receive compliments especially from those we respect, but Jesus rejected the endorsement of a very respectable leader.  An endorsement rises above a compliment and gives a stamp of approval.  It’s like a seal on a package that endorses the product inside.  The endorsement. [...]

Publication: Pastoral Letter, October 2016 Dear Friend in Christ: I believe in miracles and believe that I have personally witnessed some miracles.  I am taking into account that you probably would say the same; at least I hope so.  Oral Roberts, a  prominent evangelist of the last generation, often said,. [...]

Information without insight is trivia. Rhetoric without reality is virtual vapor. Who do you trust? To whom are you listening? Who are your associates in your daily life or online? What do you read? What do you watch? Who or what shapes your worldview? These are vital life-and-death questions and. [...]

[Part 12] During this political season it’s important to remember that Jesus did not endorse Caesar when he said, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." (Matthew 22:21).  Supporting the role of secular government does not mean we endorse the. [...]

[Part 11] Pope Francis said this past week that it’s terrible for schools to tell children that they can choose their gender.  The choosing of gender is the logical development of separating gender from sex.  In universities across America, young adults are taught that gender is a social construct; whereas. [...]

[Part 10] We live in a world of values.  People voice their values, vote their values and join churches that reflect their values.  According to Alan Bloom, who wrote The Closing of the American Mind, someone who lives his values is respected for his or her character, and great religious. [...]

Publication: Pastoral Letter, September 2016 Dear Friend in Christ: I cannot think of a more important subject for this time than TRUTH. It is vital for each of us to ask these four questions regarding truth:  Can I be deceived? Have I been deceived? What are the consequences of deception?. [...]

[Part 9] According to the worldview of Jesus, the Scripture is final in authority.  He answered every temptation of Satan with a quote from Scripture.  Three times Jesus said, “It is written” (Matthew 4:4, 7 & 10).  Then, he followed those words with quotes from the book of Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy. [...]

[Part 8] The third and final temptation of Christ in the wilderness was a blatant appeal to self-exaltation.  Satan offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would just worship him.  Jesus replied, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and. [...]

[Part 7] Jesus responded to the temptation to prove who He was by saying, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test?” (Matthew 4:7).  His identity was shaped by His relationship with the Lord His God.  And because of His relationship with God, Jesus was secure in. [...]